In the Name of Empress-Chapter 496 - 324: Everyone Is Struggling to Survive
Roland and Sif woke up almost simultaneously.
There was a faint trace of tears at the corner of Roland’s eyes.
He was saddened.
There was a faint trace of tears at the corner of Sif’s eyes.
She was happy.
Roland was saddened by losing track of the Elf Sylph, while Sif was happy for finding the lost foot of the Elf Sylph.
The joys and sorrows between people are never connected.
Seeing the tear marks at the corner of Sif’s eyes, Roland, although not understanding why his beloved wife was crying, instinctively thought she must be sad.
Seeing the tear marks at Roland’s eyes, Sif, though not understanding why he was crying, instinctively thought he was most likely joyous.
She embraced him, joy must be shared.
He embraced her too, sorrow needs to be shared.
Just as the two embraced each other tightly, forgetting the world, the world did not forget them.
There was a knock on the door.
"Sif, Roland, are you inside?"
A voice, cool but bearing traces of fatigue, came from outside the door.
It was Christine.
She was the Allied Commander-in-Chief invited by Roland, but she was also the Saintess of the Divine Court of Light, serving as commander only part-time, so she wasn’t a Sussex subject and did not have to address Sif as ’Your Majesty.’
Outside of public occasions, she usually addressed Sif and Roland by their names.
"Just a moment!" Sif’s voice trembled slightly.
She and Roland were both in their underclothes, their expressions somewhat unnatural, and they were barefoot, which was somewhat discourteous for meeting Christine in such a state.
"I’ll wait for you in the war command room." Christine’s footsteps gradually faded down the hallway.
Sif sighed with relief and hurriedly looked for her shoes and socks.
Before putting on the soft white stockings, she couldn’t help but glance at her ankle.
Smooth as jade, seemingly naturally so.
A clear consciousness flashed through her mind, reminding her that these feet indeed belonged to her, only recently obtained in a dream.
For the past twenty years, her feet had been false.
The white silk glided smoothly over the rounded toes, moving upward to envelop the ankle and firm calves completely.
Sif caught sight of Roland from the corner of her eye; he was indeed staring blankly at that spot again.
Though a little shy, she couldn’t help but fantasize about how Roland would cherish these brand-new jade feet in the evening.
The sudden imagination made her cheeks slightly flush and her heartbeat somewhat irregular.
Roland secretly retracted his wandering gaze, striving to maintain his dignified image.
He didn’t want his beloved wife to think of him as a weirdo with a foot fetish.
Although the Nobility of this era engaged in all sorts of extravagant things, he wasn’t like them; he valued his reputation.
Luckily, Sif was busy putting on her stockings and didn’t notice his intense, devouring look.
Exposing it after the night falls wouldn’t be too late.
After all, night would slightly veil the intense gaze, sparing them from excessive shame.
Christine wouldn’t have come knocking without reason; it must involve urgent military affairs, and it’s likely related to the Eastern frontline campaign.
Despite wanting to forget this world and fondle his wife’s feet, Roland quickly got dressed, prioritizing the important matters.
When he stepped out of the room, he was again the smiling, composed Caesar.
Walking beside him, Sif also exuded a calm and elegant demeanor, showcasing her noble Imperial Family aura.
Every staff member they passed stood at attention and saluted them.
Seeing the calm and composed demeanor of the two Majesties, staff members who were initially anxious felt a wave of relief in their hearts.
With such great figures holding up the sky, it’s not going to collapse, and even if it does, the Empress and Caesar would hold it up first.
...
In the war command room.
When Roland and Sif arrived, Christine was swiftly removing a few chess pieces from the sand table.
Skilled at her task, she picked up and tossed aside pieces representing four enemy army-level units from the ruins of Frank Castle.
Roland couldn’t hide his amazement upon witnessing this scene as he stepped into the room.
"Christine, are all those hundreds of thousands of Prudon soldiers gone?"
"Yes, they’re gone. Except for nearly ten thousand who were captured and then released, the rest are all dead. This includes one General, two Lieutenant Generals, and about seven or eight Vice Admirals."
After a slight pause, Christine’s lips couldn’t help but curl upwards slightly, "Including the two most elite ace army units."
Roland’s breathing became a bit rapid.
The new army of the Jin Yuan Republic still needed time to become combat effective. Relying solely on the Sussex Empire’s overseas troops could indeed defeat them, but not without considerable losses.
Letting these Prudon brutes storm into the Northern Plains would certainly be disastrous.
As long as the Prudon people’s advance could be delayed, even if only for three months, it would be enough.
Yet Christine had brought news better than expected.
Roland couldn’t figure out how a frontline force of just over ten thousand fortress soldiers and aid troops could completely destroy this formidable ace unit.
Truly Christine, a contemporary goddess of war!
Roland didn’t hesitate to offer his lavish praise.
Sif wasn’t as effusive as Roland but nodded affirmatively with her eyes.
However, Christine just smiled and shook her head, "Roland, I am indeed an excellent commander, but I cannot defy the laws of war. No matter who commanded this battle, a total annihilation of the enemy was impossible."
"This was a miracle."
She detailed the process of Frank Castle taking flight.
She didn’t compete for credit with Tom and Jerry, but factually narrated each person’s accomplishments.
This bizarre turn of events shook Roland’s pupils to their core.
He knew the scale of Frank Castle’s grounds, and by his calculations, to lift the castle into the sky would require at least two hundred thousand tons of high explosives.
Or perhaps several nuclear bombs. What kind of dreadful thing was hidden underground in the fortress?
